A butter sauce for pasta is one of the simplest and most luxurious sauces you can make. In this guide I’ll walk you through a few different butter sauce options so you can choose the one that suits your pasta best. From bright lemon butter to a classic brown butter with crispy sage, these sauces are quick to make and packed with flavor.
Hi! Butter sauces are my go-to way to finish a pasta dish because they are quick, simple and let the pasta shine. When you’ve gone to the effort of making pasta from scratch, the last thing you want is a heavy sauce that hides all that work. A butter sauce adds richness and flavor without overpowering the pasta itself.
In this guide I’ll show you two classic butter sauce methods I use all the time: a nutty brown butter and a silky emulsified butter sauce made with pasta water. Once you understand these basics you can explore many other variations in my butter sauce recipes.
Jump to:
Two Types of Butter Sauces for Pasta
There are two main ways I use butter to finish pasta: a simple brown butter and an emulsified butter sauce made with pasta water. Both are incredibly quick and let the pasta shine, but they create slightly different results.
- Brown butter
Brown butter, sometimes called burnt butter, is simply butter melted until the milk solids separate and turn golden brown. As it cooks it develops a rich, nutty flavor that works beautifully with pasta. I often add fresh sage which gives the sauce a lovely herby note. For a full guide, check out my 10 minute brown butter for pasta recipe. - Emulsified butter sauce
The second and probably most common butter sauce I make is an emulsified butter sauce. It sounds technical but it simply means mixing butter with pasta water to create a smooth sauce. I often add other flavorings too, like lemon juice, garlic or parmesan, which turn the butter into a silky, flavorful sauce.
Butter Sauce for Ravioli
Butter sauces are one of the best choices for ravioli because they let the filling shine rather than overpowering it. A simple brown butter with sage is a classic pairing, but a light lemon butter sauce also works beautifully with many fillings.
If you're making ravioli from scratch, a simple butter sauce for ravioli is often the best choice as it highlights the filling rather than masking it. It's also a lot easier after spending hours shaping your pasta.
What is brown butter?
Brown butter is simply butter that has been melted until the milk solids separate and turn golden brown. As the butter cooks it develops a rich, nutty flavor that makes it perfect for finishing pasta.
Brown butter is incredibly easy to make and takes only a few minutes. For a full step-by-step guide, see my 10 minute brown butter for pasta recipe, where I walk through the process in detail.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this link to you, so you can come back to it later!
What is an emulsified butter sauce?
An emulsified butter sauce is made by combining butter with pasta water to create a smooth, silky sauce. It sounds technical but it’s actually very simple. The starch in the pasta water helps the butter turn into a light sauce rather than just melted butter.
This method creates a sauce that feels lighter than brown butter but still rich and glossy. I often add other flavorings like lemon juice, garlic or parmesan to build different variations. Some of my favorites are my white wine and butter pasta sauce and garlic butter pasta.
Why pasta water is your best friend!
Pasta water is one of the most important ingredients in a butter sauce. As the pasta cooks it releases starch into the water, which helps emulsify the butter and create a smooth, glossy sauce rather than just melted butter. If you want to understand this process better, I go into more detail in my pasta cooking guide.
Rather than draining pasta in a colander, I always transfer it straight from the pot into the sauce using a spider strainer. That way the pot of starchy cooking water is still there if you need to add a splash to loosen or finish the sauce.
Pasta absorbs liquid quickly, so a sauce should look slightly looser in the pan than you expect. By the time it’s served, it will have thickened to the perfect consistency.
Common questions
Either salted or unsalted butter works well for these sauces, just taste and adjust the seasoning at the end. If you’re serving the sauce with a plain pasta, salted butter can work nicely, while unsalted butter is often better for filled pasta so the filling isn’t overpowered.
A simple butter sauce is one of the best choices for ravioli because it lets the filling shine rather than overpowering it. Both sauces in this guide work beautifully, a classic brown butter with sage or a light emulsified butter sauce made with pasta water.
Butter sauces cook very quickly, so start them when your pasta has just a few minutes left to cook. This way everything finishes at the same time.
More Butter Sauces to Try
Once you understand the basics of butter sauces you can create lots of variations by adding different ingredients. I’ve put together a guide to my 10 best butter sauces for pasta if you want even more inspiration. Recipes like my Garlic Butter Pasta and Miso Butter Pasta are two favorites from that list.
Recipe
My guide to the best butter sauce for pasta
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this link to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
For the browned butter
- 200 g unsalted butter cubed
- 10 - 12 sage leaves I like to use 3 - 4 per plate
- Salt to taste
For the emulsified butter sauce
- 150 g unsalted butter cubed
- ¼ cup pasta water (plus more if needed)
- Juice of half a lemon 1 - 2 tbsp depending on your preference
- Salt to taste
Instructions
For the browned butter
- Start the butter when the pasta has about 3–4 minutes left to cook.
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Add in the sage leaves as the butter is melting and bring to a sizzle.
- Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter foams and the milk solids turn golden brown. This should take about 3–4 minutes.
- Spoon the brown butter and sage over your cooked pasta and season to taste.
For the emulsified butter sauce
- When your pasta is nearly cooked, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water before draining.
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until it begins to sizzle.
- Lower the heat and add the lemon juice and pasta water, whisking vigorously while shaking the pan to bring the liquids together.
- Let the sauce gently bubble for 30–60 seconds so it thickens slightly.
- Add your pasta straight in and let it gently bubble away for a minute before serving.
- Add more pasta water if you need to loosen the sauce
Brittany says
Can you make this sauce ahead and then set to side and then boil pasta ?
Emilie Pullar says
The brown butter one can, you'll lose the foam on top though. The lemon butter sauce can seperate so that one is made best fresh 🙂
Britt says
I made the emulsified lemon butter and added it to penne, navy beans, and some steamed broccoli, topped with some parmesan cheese. An easy meal, but to my great surprise, my notoriously picky husband and son loved it! I will be making this again and again in the future. I'm excited to see what other combinations go well with it.
Therese H says
Oh my heavens! My only regret is that I didn't make MORE emulsified butter sauce. Who knew just a few ingredients could create such a delicious sauce! I wasn't sure what sauce I wanted for my Italian Basil and Parmesan cheese Sacchetti pasta. I am so glad I found your recipe. This will now be one of my go to recipes! Thank you.
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Therese, thanks so much!! Definitely check out my white wine and butter sauce next, it's my fave!! 🙂
James says
Fantastic recipe! I want to copy my favorite restaurant's recipe. I think they use emulsified butter with rigatoni, chopped broccolini, and spiced ground pork sausage topped with grated parmesan. Delish!
Erin says
Really good.
Leah says
So GOOD. I've recently discovered adding pasta water to bring sauces together, what a difference 🙂
I added some roasted garlic and red pepper clubhouse seasoning because that's all I had ? as well as a poached egg. (I made the lemon sauce)
So tasty and filling.
Emilie Pullar says
Yayyy so glad you have discovered the magic of pasta water! Love the sound of your additions 🙂
Tiffany R says
I forgot the lemon and left out the sage, and added garlic. I used gluten free past and added fresh vegetables and shrimp... it was amazing can't wait to do this again!
Genevieve says
I was very nervous to get the timing of this right, but your directions were so clear that I was successful on my first try so thank you! I said "OH MY GOD" out loud after tasting the browned butter sauce. I should clarify I said that because it was good. Unfortunately, I bought the butter before reading your recipe and it was salted and also too salty (like you said it would be), but that was my bad. Can't wait to try it again the unsalted way. Thanks again!
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Genevieve thanks so much for this lovely review! So glad you had success! 🙂
Evie says
This is such a go-to for me now. It tastes like heaven but is so quick and easy to make even when I have nothing else in the fridge.
Raeoni says
Ridiculous. Don’t do it to yourself. You’ll never want to eat anything other than this ever again, this is so easy and quick. Pair this with any pumpkin filled pasta and it’s game over. Consider me #influenced… I even bought a flat whisk to level this up. Six stars.
Emilie Pullar says
hahaha this made me laugh so much!! Yay to the flat whisk, I couldn't live without it!
Lindsay says
Do you have a recipe for that beautiful ravioli with the flowers???
Emilie Pullar says
The ravioli and filling recipe is on the qb cucina website here https://www.qbcucina.com/beetroot-goat-cheese-hazelnut-ravioli/ and then for that one with the flowers I just did a burnt butter and walnuts 🙂
Vesna says
I made the emulsified butter sauce and it was perfect for the artisan ravioli I bought that day. Since it is mild in taste, it lets the ravioli filling be the main flavor. 1/3 of the recipe (50g of butter) was just enough for 2 medium portions. This will be my go-to from now on for any filled pasta!
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Vesna, so glad you enjoyed it! That is why I love a butter sauce, it lets the pasta shine too! 🙂